Today in AI

• News roundup

• Today’s big story

• AI research changing the world

• Tool spotlight

• This week on the podcast

News roundup

The top stories in AI today.

META

News, launches & Zuckerberg

• Facebook, Instagram now use AI to edit, answer questions about photos

• New Meta AI tools will translate audio reels in real time

• How MetaAI Voice compares to other AI assistants

• The biggest announcements from Meta Connect 2024

• Zuckerberg says AI is going to make phones “a lot more exciting”

• Meta’s new Llama AI model can now see and run on your device

• Zuckerberg claims creators overvalue their AI training contributions

NEW LAUNCHES

The latest features, products & partnerships in AI

• AI2’s New Small Open-Source Model Performs as Well as Big Ones

• How Harness is Accelerating Enterprise Software Development with AI Agents

• Rabbit Launches Beta Version of New Large Action Model

• Figma Relaunches AI Design Tool Previously Pulled for Copying Apple

• HP Says Pressing CTRL+P Will Soon Trigger an AI Print Chatbot

• ElevenLabs to Add Deepak Chopra Voice to Its Voice Library

FUTURE OF WORK

Jobs are changing — are you?

• AI-powered sales and marketing teams earn more, Bain study shows

• New study raises questions about true impact of AI coding assistants

• AI outperforms human CEOs in 85% of simulated scenarios, Harvard finds

• AI is going to kill jobs for the poor and less educated, Duolingo CEO opines

GOVERNMENT

Press releases, regulation, defense & politics.

• Labor Department issues new AI guidelines to ensure inclusive hiring

• Apple snubs EU AI agreement backed by tech giants

• AI legal startup hit with $193,000 FTC fine in tech crackdown

• AI Erodes Public Trust in Online Election Media, Adobe Survey Finds

• Microsoft President Urges Relaxed Chip Export Controls to Encourage AI Adoption

• Stanford HAI’s ‘The Digitalist Papers’ are A Vision for AI and Democracy

ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE

Power usage, data centers & innovation

• How underwater data centers may promise greener computing

• Blackstone commits £10bn to AI data center in Blyth

• Nuclear Power is Making a Comeback Because of AI Compute Needs

• Inside Saudi Arabia’s $40B Initiative to Expand Influence in the AI Industry

What’s happening in AI right now

Meta's bold moves and industry implications

Meta pushes the boundaries of AI integration across its platforms, signaling an intensifying competition in the tech industry. Recent announcements showcase a flurry of AI-powered features that could reshape how users interact with social media and digital content.

Meta's vision for an augmented future

Meta is pushing the boundaries of both artificial intelligence and augmented reality, signaling an intensifying race to shape the future of human-computer interaction. Recent announcements from Meta Connect 2024 showcase a convergence of AI and AR technologies that could dramatically reshape how we interact with digital content and the world around us.

Blending digital and physical realities

Among Meta's most exciting revelations is the Orion AR glasses prototype. This cutting-edge device represents a significant leap forward in AR technology, promising to seamlessly blend digital information with our physical environment. While still in the prototype stage, Orion hints at a future where AR becomes an integral part of our daily lives, potentially revolutionizing fields from education and healthcare to entertainment and productivity.

Complementing this ambitious AR project, Meta also announced significant updates to its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. These enhancements aim to bridge the gap between current wearable technology and the more advanced AR future that Orion represents. The improved Smart Glasses offer expanded functionality, likely incorporating more AI-powered features to enhance user experience and utility.

Multimodal AI takes center stage

Meta's latest innovations focus heavily on multimodal AI capabilities, particularly in image analysis and manipulation. The company has introduced advanced features that allow users to analyze, edit, and generate images across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. This move significantly enhances content creation possibilities and user engagement on these platforms.

For instance, Meta AI can now describe image content in chats, providing a new layer of accessibility and interaction. The technology goes beyond simple object recognition, offering sophisticated interpretations of visual scenes. This capability could prove particularly valuable for visually impaired users, while also enhancing general user experience by providing additional context to shared images.

Moreover, Meta has unveiled AI-powered background generation for Instagram Stories, potentially revolutionizing how users create and share visual content. This feature allows for more creative storytelling and personalization without the need for advanced editing skills.

Breaking language barriers

In a bold move to enhance global connectivity, Meta is testing an AI translation tool for Facebook and Instagram Reels. This tool automatically translates audio to the viewer's preferred language, employing advanced dubbing and lip-syncing technology. Initially focusing on English and Spanish translations, this innovation has the potential to dramatically alter how users consume content across linguistic boundaries.

The implications of this technology are far-reaching. Content creators could suddenly find themselves with a global audience, while users might gain access to a wealth of previously inaccessible content. This development could foster greater cross-cultural understanding and connectivity.

Competitive landscape and strategic positioning

Meta's aggressive push into AI integration across its platforms is clearly a strategic move to maintain its competitive edge in the tech industry. The introduction of MetaAI Voice, a new conversational AI assistant designed to integrate with Meta's products, directly challenges existing voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

While MetaAI Voice may face stiff competition in terms of voice quality, its integration with Meta's vast ecosystem gives it unique advantages. The ability to leverage Meta's platforms for widespread adoption could prove crucial in gaining market share.

The release of Llama 3.2, an updated version of Meta's language model series, further underscores the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities. With multimodal vision capabilities and on-device models, Llama 3.2 positions Meta as a formidable player in the AI race.

Implications for businesses and creators

The introduction of AI-powered tools for content creation and manipulation could lower the barrier to entry for producing high-quality, engaging content. This democratization of content creation tools may lead to a surge in user-generated content, potentially changing the dynamics of social media marketing and influencer ecosystems.

However, these advancements also raise questions about content authenticity and ownership. As AI-generated and AI-manipulated content becomes more prevalent, businesses and creators may need to adapt their strategies to stand out in an increasingly crowded and technologically enhanced digital landscape.

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This week on the podcast

Can’t get enough of our newsletter? Check out our podcast Future-Proof.

In this episode Anthony, Shane, and Elizabeth discuss the transformative impact of AI on sales processes and e-commerce. The conversation highlights the competitive edge that AI-native companies have over traditional businesses, the evolving landscape of customer interactions, and the potential for AI to streamline workflows and enhance personalization at the same time.